Shaman's Message, 2011

Carved in green Brazilian soapstone, this intriguing figure by renowned Inuit sculptor Abraham Anghik Ruben has an ethereal quality. A precursor to this work, A Study for Shaman's Message III, was exhibited in “Arctic Journeys, Ancient Memories: Sculpture by Abraham Anghik Ruben” organized by the Smithsonian Institution, Arctic Studies Center in 2012. Ruben was born in 1951 in a camp south of Paulatuk, Northwest Territories and east of the Mackenzie River Delta. This region is home to the Mackenzie Inuit or Inuvialuit. The late 1890s would see the arrival of large-scale commercial whaling fleets into the region, soon followed by an influx of Inuit from Alaska. By the time of Ruben’s birth, Inuit culture was in the midst of a profound change that would forever alter their traditional way of life and set the stage for Ruben’s lifelong quest to re-discover and connect with his roots. Stories, myths and legends of ancient Northern cultures find new life and expression through his work. Ruben’s work is in the collections of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, and the Canadian Museum of Civilization.